Call it the domino effect, the butterfly effect, the ripple effect, or any other effect you want. The point is, altering one aspect of history can create far-reaching implications.

In December 2005, Josh Freeman backed out of a verbal pledge to Nebraska, opting instead to sign with Kansas State and coach Ron Prince. In so doing, he triggered a chain of events that extended beyond Manhattan and Lincoln, Neb., reaching as far as Norman, Okla., Pullman, Wash., and Madison, Wis.

As a result, Saturday's 11:30 a.m. matchup between the 5-3 Wildcats and the 4-6 Cornhuskers — Freeman's first game at Memorial Stadium — will be laced with subplots and what-ifs, the biggest being this: What if Freeman was wearing red instead of purple?

Would K-State be on the verge of back-to-back postseason appearances? Would the Cornhuskers be headed for their worst finish in half a century? Would Bill Callahan be preparing for what could be his final game at Memorial Stadium?

Ostensibly, the answer is yes to all of the above. Football is a team game, and Callahan's team has not been good. Nebraska surrendered 76 points to Kansas last week, and the Huskers' scoring defense ranks last in the Big 12. At last check, Freeman doesn't play defense.

Still, Callahan isn't underselling Freeman's abilities. Callahan said the sophomore quarterback has more than lived up to the expectations that put him at the center of a heated recruiting battle.

"They've done a wonderful job of developing him into the quarterback he is, and by gosh, he's going to get better," Callahan said. "You see that in the way he's playing and his maturation. You see him make big plays. He stands tall in the pocket. He can move, he can run, and he's tough to bring down.

"He's all those things we thought he'd be and probably more."

The Nebraska fan base clearly expected great things from Freeman, given the passionate public outcry that followed his decision to decommit.

John Bishop witnessed that backlash firsthand at KLIN 1400-AM in Lincoln, where he serves as news director and offers commentary on Nebraska sports.

"There was a time, especially immediately after it happened, when a lot of people were incensed that he changed his mind," Bishop said. "Ever since Rivals came along, a lot more fans started to get weaved into recruiting. They would live and die if a superstar recruit committed to Nebraska and became the next hero.

"Especially because it was Kansas State, there was some built-in animosity that made things worse. There was a lot of chatter on the message boards, calling Josh Freeman a traitor, saying Ron Prince pulled the race card. There was a lot of innuendo that more than likely wasn't true, but people bought it as being true."

At the time, Bishop said, most of the animosity was aimed at Freeman and K-State, not Callahan. The Cornhuskers were perceived as a program on the rise, a notion that gained credence after Nebraska won the Big 12 North and earned an invitation to the Cotton Bowl.

But discontent has grown with each loss this season, to the point that Callahan's departure appears a foregone conclusion. The embattled coach has said he won't resign, but his future in Lincoln looks cloudy at best.

Could Freeman have prevented the Nebraska train wreck? Probably not, Bishop said. Still, the quarterback's decision could be symptomatic of the problems that have plagued Callahan's four-year tenure.

"It's about relationships with players and things like that," Bishop said. "Everyone here is assuming Callahan is done. People are more open after things have ended, so it will be interesting to hear how maybe there was some fracture in the relationship with Josh Freeman. That may give us some hints with players who are already on the team."

Freeman's decision seemed to hinge on several factors, including his desire to play right away and Callahan's offensive scheme.

While the sophomore quarterback declined to speculate on how he could have affected Nebraska's fortunes, it's safe to say he'll be happy to be on the visitors' side Saturday.

"I'm glad I came here," he said. "That's why I came here. I saw it as a better choice."

The implications of Freeman's choice extend beyond Saturday's game, however. They reach all the way to Pullman, Wash., and Madison, Wis., where two former Wildcats have found fresh starts.

Quarterbacks Kevin Lopina and Allan Evridge transferred out of the K-State program in summer 2006, with Freeman emerging as the heir apparent. Lopina landed at Washington State, while Evridge is the No. 2 quarterback at Wisconsin.

Here's another twist: Arizona State transfer Sam Keller, who started the first nine games of the season for Nebraska, picked the Huskers over Oklahoma. That, in turn, opened the door for freshman Sam Bradford to step in as Oklahoma's starting quarterback. Bradford has thrown 25 touchdowns and ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency.

"If you've got Josh Freeman, does Nebraska have a play for Sam Keller? Probably not," Bishop said. "Sam Keller ends up at OU, and all of a sudden Sam Bradford is sitting on the sidelines. It would have had a ripple effect beyond just K-State and Nebraska."

That's why it's a risky business, messing with the past. Once the dominoes start to fall, there's no telling where they'll stop.

For his part, Freeman said he won't be thinking about any of the what-if scenarios when he takes the field Saturday.

Freeman's teammates, meanwhile, aren't worried that the quarterback's history will interfere with the here-and-now.

"I know in the back of his mind somewhere he'll probably think about his history with that place," K-State's Ian Campbell said. "But I think he'll be able to focus and do the things he needs to get done for this team."